Production of yarn containing staple fiber from continuous filaments



Aug. 1, 1939. w. l. TAYLOR ET AL 2,157,916 PRGDUCTION OF YARN CONTAINING STAPLE FIBER FROM CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS Filed Feb. 5, 1937 \NvEQoRs: \N. LTAY LOR.

A-H- \NOODRUF? Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRODUCTION OF YARN CON'I'AHVING STA- PLE FIBER FROM CONTINUOUS FILL? MENTS tion of Delaware Application February 5, 1937, Serial No. 124,208 In Great Britain February 22, 1936 ii Claims.

This invention relates to the production of yarns containing staple fibers from continuous filaments.

A bundle of continuous filaments may be con- 6 verted directly into yarn containing staple fibers by causing said bundle to pass into contact with a cutting surface positively driven "in the same direction as the bundle but at a diderent speed, and pressing the bundle against the surface so that the surfaceexerts a cutting action on the filaments in the bundle. The cutting surface may conveniently be in the form of an abrasive roller, or with advantage a fluted roller such as is described in United States application S. No. ddddt, died May 28, 31935, and the bundle of continueus illaments may be pressed against the cutting surface by means of another roller, or as is described in United idtates application S. No. recast, filed ay it, 193d, by means of a stationary pressing surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for converting a bundle of continuous filaments directly into a yarn containing staple fibers.

decor-ding to the present invention means are provided to draw a bundle of continuous filaments between and in contact with a cutting surface and a iurther surface by which the bundle is pressed against said cutting surface, and the contact of the bundle of continuous filaments with said surfaces is utilised to bring. about the desired movement of said cutting Surface.

The cutting action of the cutting roller depends upon the did'erence of speed between the surface of the roller d the continuous filament bundle, and in order to give this diderence in speed the mere inertia and the friction in the bearings of the cutting roller and/or the pressing roller, if such is employed, may be relied on.

The conversion of continuous illarnents in the bundle into staple fibers by the device described above does not substantially sheet the degree of twist which the bundle may possess. However, when the bundle has little or no twist, the product should be collected, after the conversion of the filaments into staple fibers, by a twisting and winding operation to impart to it a twist, which may be the amount of twist required \in 50, the final product, or may need to be'augmented by further twisting. In either case, the twist so imparted during winding maintains the coherence oi the product. Alternatively, the coherence may be maintained by reason of a substantial initial degree of twist in the continuous filament bundle, which twist, as previously stated, is practically unaifected by the conversion.

By way of example two forms of apparatus according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a cutting roller unit according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation from the left of the unit shown in Fig. 1 together with means for drawing the y through the unit and a twisting spindle for collecting the yarn; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation from the right of a modified form of the unit shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. l and 2 the unit comprises a frame I with a stub aide t on which a cutting roller 3 is mounted in ball bearings indicated at t. The surface of the roller d is grooved with sharpedged flutes t cut at an angle of to the axis of the roller, so as to give the desired cutting action. The frame also carries two plain slotted steel bearings t to receive the spindle l of pressing roller it provided with flutes t, which are parallel to its axis so that the flutes d cross the flutes d in the roller The slotted bearings b permit the roller d to be lifted ordropped vertically immediately above the cutting roller t and for this purpose a lever it is provided pivoted about a-point ill and held by means of a spring it secured to a point it on the frame l against one or other of two stops it, it. When, as is shown in Figs. l and 2, the lever it is held against the stop it the weight of the roller t rests upon the roller d. When it is desired to lift theroller t, the lever it is pushed down against the stop it and the roller is lifted by the engagement of the spindle l with a notch it in the end of the lever it.

The cutting roller d is provided on one side with a braking surface ll against which bears a brake spring it secured at it to the frame l. The brake spring it is pressed against the surface ill by means ot a screw it having a knurledhead it and screwing into a lug ti on the frame i. A guide Ed is provided on the frame l for leading the yarn into the nip between the rollers 3, 8 and a further de M is provided to conduct the yarn that has passed through the nip verti-- cally downwards away from the roller 3.

In the, operation of the device the yarn 25 consisting of continuous filaments is led by the guide 23 to the nip of the rollers and is drawn through the rollers andthrough the guides 23 and 24 by means of three rollers 26, 21, 28. The roller 28 is a driven roller and drives the roller 21 which in turn drives the roller 26, by friction;-

The rollers 26 and 21 are mounted in a bracket 29 provided with slotted bearings II. The slotted. bearing 30 accommodating the roller 21 opens in iront'of the bracket 29 whereby the roller 21 can be dropped in in such a way that the yarn 26 is caused to pass behind the roller 21 and in front of the rollers 26 and 26.

The yarn 25 passing between the rollers I, I drives those rollers by the contactit makes therewith, but at a peripheral speed lower than the speed at which the yarn isrdrawn. This is ensured by adjustment of the brake spring II by means of the screw 20. The roller is retarded by the non-positive resistance to rotation imposed by these means, so that the requisite difference in speed between the surface oi the roller I and the yarn 25 is obtained. By reason of the cutting nature of the surface of the roller 3, and of this difierence of speed, the filaments in the yarn 26 are cut at intervals along the length 01' the yarn so that the yarn issues from the nip as a'staple will be empty when a bundle 25 oi fine denier is employed. For heavier deniers, however, greater pressure is needed, and weights indicated at 36 are inserted in the cavities II. By these means the weight oi the roller I and conse-.

quently the force with which the yarn 26 -is pressed against the cutting roller 3 may be varied.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification of the device shown in Fig. l. and at the top of Fig. 2. This figure shows the opposite side of the device to that shown in Fig. 2 in order that the additional elements may be clearly seen. These additional elements comprise a series of vanes I'I secured to the cutting roller 3 and an air nozzle II controlled by a cock 36' by means oi which nozzle'a current of air may be directed against the vanes 31, so as to assist the yarn 26 in rotating the cutting roller 3. It will be understood that these additional means do not entirely relieve the yarn 25 of the work of rotating'the roller I,- nor are they so powerful as to cause the roller I to ro- .tate with a peripheral speed equal to the speed construction to withstandwear and handling.

Moreover, it enables yarns of any desired weight to be dealt with by the same unit.

The device described above may be applied to several other types of textile apparatus that are provided with or comprise means for drawing the yarn through the device- Thus it may be necessary to provide a set of gripping rollers similar to the rollers 26, 21, 28 through which red, pirn winding machines, either of the type adapted to twist the yarn as it is wound on the -pirn or of the type adapted to wind without twisting, and coning machines which wind the yarn into the form oi a large package without twisting. Again the staple fiber yam II produced according to the present invention may be fed directly to a warping machine in which case (as well as in the case 01' the doubling machine) the rollers I, I may be made wide enough to take a number of bundles 26 of continuous filaments passing. through it in parallel. In the same way the yarns II produced according to the invention may be fed to a drumming or sectional warping device. Or again, the device according to the present invention may be applied directly to such machines as circular knitting machines, the yarn Ii being passed through the device according to the present invention at the speed at which it is fed to needles.

The invention may be applied to continuous filament bundles 01 many difierent kinds. Thus, the continuous filaments in the bundle may consist of cellulose acetate or other cellulose derivatlves or they may consist of reconstituted cellulose. e. g., viscose, cuprammonium and nitrocellulose filaments or they may be natural silk filaments. Moreover, two or more bundles oi.

similar or dissimilar continuous filaments may be associated together, e. g., by doubling, I and passed together through the device according to the invention to produce a single yarn containing staple fibers. Moreover, the yarns produced according to the invention maybe associated with other yarns, e. g., by doubling, after they have been converted from a bundle oi continuous filaments into yarn containing staple fibers, and

such association may be efi'ected continuously with such conversion or at a subsequent stage. Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by'Letters Patent is: Y

1. Method 01' producing yarn containing staple fiber from continuous filaments, said method comprising drawing a bundle of continuous filaments between and in contact with acutting surface and a further surface, pressing said bun- I die against said cutting'suri'ace by means oi said further surface, utilising the pull of said filabundle of filaments, and non-positively driving said cutting surface in order to assist the driving action of the filaments whereby said filaments are cut individually at intervals along the length of said bundle of filaments.

2. Method otproducing yarn containing staple fiber from ,continuous filaments, said method comprising drawing a'bundle of continuous filoments between and in contact with a cutting surf e and a further surface, pressing said bundle against said cutting surface by means oi said further surface, utilising the pull of said filamentstp drive said cutting surface in the same direction as the bundle oi filaments, and imposing a continuous non-positive resistance against the motion or said cutting suriace so that it is driven at a lower speed thansaid bundle of filaments.

3. A device for the production 0! yarn containing staple fiber from continuous filaments,

.said device comprising a member having a cut'-' anemia filaments so as to move in the same direction as, but at a lower speed than, said filaments whereby said filaments are individually severed at intervals, and non-positive driving means for assisting said filaments to move said cutting surface.

l. Apparatus for the production of yarn con taining staple fiber from continuous filaments, comprising a roller having a cutting surface, a pressing roller adapted to press against said surface a bundle of filaments drawnbetween the said rollers, said rollers being freely mounted so that said cutting surface is driven in the same direction as said bundle of filaments by the pull in said bundle of filaments, but at a lower speed whereby said filaments are individually severed at intervals, and external means for assisting said filaments to drive said cutting roller. 1

5. Apparatus for the production of 'yarn containing staple fiber from continuous filaments, comprising a roller having a cutting surface, a pressing roller adapted to press against said surface a bundle offilaments drawn between the said rollers, said rollers being freely mounted so that said cutting surface is driven in the same direction as said bundle of filaments by the pull in said bundle of. filaments, but at a lower speed whereby said filaments are individually severed at intervals, vanes carried by said roller and a nozzle adapted to direct a current of air against said vanes so as to assist the filaments in driving said cutting roller.

6. Apparatus for the production of yarn containing staple fiber from continuous filaments, comprising a roller having a cutting surface, a pressing roller adapted to press against said surface a bundle of filaments drawn betwen the said rollers, said rollers being freely mounted so that said cutting surface is driven in the same direction as said bundle of filaments by the pull in said bundle of filaments, but at a lower speed whereby said filaments are individually severed at intervals, and adjustable braking means for retarding the motion of said cutting roller.

WILLI IVAN TAYLOR. ALFRED HERBERT WOODRUFF.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No, 2,167,916. August 1, 19 9.,

' WILLIAM IVAN TAYLOR, ET AL. I

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, lines 52, 55 and 5h, claim 1, strike out the words "whereby said filaments are cut individually at intervals along the length of said bundle of filaments" and insert the same before "and" in line 50, sameclaim; line 65, claim 2,, after "filaments" insert whereby said filaments are cut individually at intervals along the length of said bundle of filaments; and.

that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of September, A, D, 1959.

Henry Van Ars'dale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

